Traditionally, young Kikuyu men underwent coming of age ceremonies, ‘Mambura ma irua’, that ends in the surgical removal of the penis’ foreskin at puberty. This ‘passage’ rite polishes boys into men.

The boys receive weeks of lessons on Kikuyu culture before the ceremony and are paraded in front of their parents and relatives prior to being cut. During this parade, the boys introduce themselves by names and clans before declaring their thirst ‘to be me